Paris 2024 already creating a more active nation

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 are already providing tangible social legacies to all layers of French society, benefitting millions of people, businesses and communities throughout the country, an interim evaluation report of the Paris 2024 legacies says.

The report has been produced by a group of experts from the Centre de Droit et d’Economie du Sport (CDES) of Limoges, the Pluricité group and the Phare Agency, and has been complimented by the Ipama and Sport 1.5. It follows new guidelines from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), developed to help measure the long-term impacts of global events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In line with the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s strategic roadmap, Olympic Agenda 2020, the Paris 2024 Legacy & Sustainability strategy has set out to establish a new model for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, pledging to deliver an ambitious event that is socially responsible, more sustainable and inclusive.

“Paris 2024 will represent a ‘new era’ of Olympic Games,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “These will be the first Games to be planned and delivered in line with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, with a central ambition to create a lasting, positive legacy. This interim evaluation shows that this legacy is already bringing tangible social benefits to the host communities and beyond, even before the opening of the Games.”

The Interim Evaluation Report on the Legacy & Sustainability strategy of Paris 2024 analyses the social and environmental impact of the Paris 2024 Games, covering measures carried out up to the summer of 2023.

Actions and initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity among young French people have been particularly successful, the report says.

Sport for health and education

According to the World Health Organization, 80 per cent of young people do not meet the recommended guideline of 60 minutes of physical activity per day for 5-to 17-years-olds.

Meanwhile in France, according to the National Observatory of Physical Activity (ONAPS), 37 per cent of children between 6 and 10 years old and 73 per cent of 11-to-17 year-olds do not reach the recommended 60 minutes.

That is why Paris 2024 joined forces with the French Ministry of National Education and healthcare experts to implement 30 minutes of exercise at school every day.

As a result, 30 minutes of daily physical activity have been introduced in all 36,250 French primary schools. An evaluation from the National Observatory of Physical Activity (ONAPS) in schools that adopted the initiative in the pilot phase (2020 to 2022) shows that 91 per cent of the teachers implementing the 30 minutes of daily physical activity consider that it helps to reduce students’ sedentary lifestyles.

The report reveals that more than 8,700 schools and higher education establishments have been awarded the Génération 2024 label, a seal recognising their collaboration with local sports clubs and local governments to support the development of sports practice.

In addition, 3 million young people have already taken part in the Olympic and Paralympic Weeks (OPW) – an action to promote sport among young people and mobilise the educational community around civic and sporting values in France.

Outside schools, the Bouger Plus programme has benefitted over 600,000 people. Bouger Plus aims to get everyone in France moving and prioritises schoolchildren, women, people with disabilities, senior citizens and groups who tend to be less active or socially excluded.

Sport for cities

The report also highlights the impact sport is having on urban areas, a particular focus of Games organisers.

Through the Terre de Jeux 2024 label, which is awarded to local and regional authorities committed to promoting sport and the Games among local residents, 4,500 cities and regions across France got over 600,000 people to be more active on a daily basis.

Paris 2024 teamed up with numerous authorities to help design public spaces in a way that encourages local residents to exercise more frequently. The project has been piloted in six territories, receiving positive feedback from their residents. In one of the pilot towns, Saint-Dizier, 71 per cent of residents said that stairs and newly painted lines in an activity area encourage them to move more in general.

Sport for inclusion

The report also evaluated progress against three major objectives around promoting equality, inclusion and integration, as well as various environmental initiatives.

Key achievements include the establishment of 40 Para sports clubs since 2020, as well as commitment by the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games to create 3,000 inclusive clubs with a Para sports section by 2024.

Sport for climate

Finally, Paris 2024 has taken several measures to accelerate the transformation of sporting events and promote sustainable sport. For example, the Organising Committee, together with the Ministry of Sport and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, developed a “Climate Coach” app to allow sports event organisers in France to estimate their carbon footprint and reduce their impact. Two months after its launch, some 500 sporting event organisers had used the tool, helping to reduce their footprint by an average 20 per cent.

“Impact 2024” Endowment Fund

A number of the above projects are funded by the Paris 2024 Endowment Fund, the first ever Olympic legacy-focused investment fund to be established before the Games. It has already provided EUR 47 million in funding for 1,100 grassroots projects across France.

Impact 2024 supports projects that use sport to promote health, well-being, education, inclusion, equality and environmental improvements. Between 2020 and 2023, the Fund has directly benefitted 4.5 million people, 42 per cent of whom are women and 12 per cent are persons living with disabilities.

“The Paris Endowment Fund is a very innovative way to mobilise resources to ensure that the wide-ranging benefits of sport reach people directly in their daily environments: at school, at work and in the cities,” said Tania Braga, IOC Head of Legacy.

New OECD guidelines

The report is the first of three strategy evaluations. Two further instalments will be produced one year (2025) and five years (2029) after the Games.

It is also the first report to be published in accordance with the guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), published In July 2023. Aimed at organisers of cultural, sporting and business events, these guides were drawn up by the OECD in collaboration with the academic community, experts and organisers of major events, foundations, governments, political decision-makers and several international organisations such as the IOC and the World Health Organization (WHO).